July Favorites

          July was a month of excitement and experimentation. Companies let loose their Fall 2011 floodgates and the Nordstrom Anniversary sale went into full swing. I scoured the web and scurried to stores to pick up my precious new goodies. It was an enjoyable, but hectic time. I'm looking forward to the slower pace in the coming couple of months. My purchases this month are all NARS. Because there were too many NARS products I had to have, I had to pass on my other interests. Some products I thought were great but passed on were: Chanel Fall 2011 lip colors, Bobbi Brown Tortoiseshell  Sand palette, and the Urban Decay 15th anniversary palette. Sigh. There's always next season!

         My favorites this month are a mix of new and old things. I've gone back to my smokey eye and nude lip standby. It's a very happy (makeup) state of mind for me.


1. NARS Grand Palais eyeshadow duo - (Reviewed here) This had me playing with my crease colors this month.
2. NARS Bright Lights, Big City eyeshadow palette - (Photos here) I love this palette. The colors are perfect for a smokey eye. I can use all six colors at once!
3. NARS Vestale Nail Polish - (Reviewed here) This is going to be a favorite of mine for a very long time. I'm wearing it one my toes as we speak.
4. NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara - This is really waterproof, doesn't flake, and provides good volume. It's not my all-time favorite mascara, but I like it.
5. NARS Smudge Proof eyeshadow base - I'm favoring this over my UDPP lately.
6. NARS Pago Pago Lipstick - I haven't reviewed this yet, but it's a beautiful light lippie from NARS Fall 2011.
7. NARS Greek Holiday Lip Gloss - I use this to add a dab of shine on my otherwise flat nude lips.
8. Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Zero/Whiskey - This came with the Naked palette and got little use. I rediscovered it this month. Because I've been wearing smokier eyes, a thick smudgy black line is ideal. Zero does the trick. I think NARS Smudgeproof holds on to pencils better than UDPP, and I don't have to worry as much about the thick line creasing.
9. Bobbi Brown Bare Pink Rich Lip Color - This is one of my favorite lipsticks ever. The formula is awesome.
10. Bobbi Brown Blondie Pink lipstick -  The color is a slightly darker nude than my other two lipsticks this month. I'll use this when I don't want to look as washed out.


          Next up are my face products. This month I finally came to the realization that I'm allergic or sensitive to blush. I've had small bumps / breakouts on my upper cheeks for a long while now. I finally realized that the big culprits were sunscreen and blush. It took me so long to figure out the sunscreen part. Sunscreen is marketed in such a positive light that I never suspected it until recently. It's also quite hard to avoid since it's present in almost all lotions and foundations.  I stopped using blush and cheek products and there has been improvement. It's frustrating because I really enjoyed using blush. Without it, my face looks drained of color. I've tried adding in a little bronzer for color. I think I'm slightly  less sensitive to bronzer than blush. Perhaps it has something to do with the red pigment. Because of this, you won't see any blush products below.

Face products

11. Dior Aurora bronzer - (Reviewed here) I love this bronzer. It has a little color so I've tried brushing some at the apples of my cheeks and avoiding the more sensitive areas that are nearer to the hairline.
12. NARS Laguna bronzer - (Swatch here) This is another favorite bronzer of mine. I'm too nervous about my sensitivity so I try not to use it everyday. I have, however, discovered that it makes a nice crease color on the eyes.
13. Bobbi Brown Pale Yellow Pressed Powder - I shopped this out of my stash. I use it to set my Sheer Glow Foundation. It's very finely milled and works well.
14. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Ceylan - My everyday foundation. I love the color and the coverage. It doesn't have sunscreen which is probably why it agrees well with me. It also photographs quite well.
15. NARS Luxor Multiple - I've become interested in multiples as an alternative to normal blush. This is more of a highlighter than a blush, but it helps give some dimension to my face.

There you have it: my favorites for July. The no-blush situation is kind of sad, but I always liked eye makeup better anyway =). Thanks for reading!

Love, Dovey.